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tv   CNN Newsroom  CNN  March 17, 2012 11:00am-12:00pm EDT

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em to shore and a nearby ambulan ambulance. in arizona, moments of panic when nine passengers in a hot air balloon crashes into power lines. according to affiliate kold, four people suffered veer burns when parts of the balloon caught fire. the federal aviation administration is now investigating. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com from atlanta, this is "cnn saturday morning." it is saturday, 11:00 a.m. right here on the east coast. good morning, everyone. i'm randi kaye. we now have a face and a name to go with the u.s. soldier accuse of killing 16 afghans in afghanistan. also a dramatic change of where
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he's being held. >> he's lying on the ground. oh, my god. >> a hysterical woman reporting the shooting death of a teen in florida. police finally released the 911 calls in the trayvon martin case. and new video of the tornado that barreled through henryville, indiana, earlier this month. all that coming up this hour. this morning we know the name of the u.s. soldier accused of killing 16 afghan civilians and where he's being held. the suspect is army staff sergeant robert bachlles. he's now in custody at ft. leavenworth in kansas by himself. he's married, a father of two kids. this was his first tour of duty in afghanistan but he's done three tours in iraq. here's what neighbors had to say about him. >> completely shocked. >> i would describe him as super fun to hang around with, kind of the life of the party. super loving, friendly to everybody he met, great with his kids. i just -- i don't -- i don't see
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how that has happened. i never saw any signs of marital problems. they always -- happy family, normal family. i mean we would go over there for birthday parties and they would come to my kids' birthday parties. they would -- always happy. happy day, you know. i don't know. >> we're learning more about bales through the people who know or knew him. cnn's athena jones has more on that. bales was called a family man and the life of the party by some of those who know him. are you hearing the same thing? >> well, certainly. i mean of course his lawyer describes him as a loving husband and a family man and you heard that neighbor talk about how she didn't know anything about any marital troubles. that's something that his lawyer has always brought up, saying that the family didn't have marital troubles any more than any usual family. it's one of the factors that
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we've seen in press reports trying to explain what could have led staff sergeant bales to carry out this rampage that he's accused of in afghanistan. but, you know, his neighbor, his lawyer and others have described him as a good guy. let's listen to what a friend of his from high school had to say. >> he had such a big heart, too, because he was in the financial world, he was a financial adviser. he couldn't take that, like losing people's money when the market went down. so he felt he needed something bigger in his heart and his mind and his soul. that's why he went into the military in general, you know, to help people. >> you know, he joined the military, bales joined the military in late 2001. november of 2001. so just a couple of months after the september 11th attacks. as you mentioned he did three tours in iraq. this was his first tour in afghanistan. during two of those tours in iraq he was injured. he suffered a traumatic brain jury and also lost part of his foot. so his lawyer has indicated that some mental health issues could
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come into play here as part of bales' defense. >> athena jones, thank you very much. new detail this morning in the shooting of the unarmed florida teenager. from 911 calls the night that it happened. trayvon martin was shot and killed last month by a neighborhood watch captain in his gated community. now we're hearing seven different calls, beginning with one from alleged shooter and neighborhood watch captain george zimmerman. >> something's wrong with him. yep. he's coming to check me out. he's got something in his hands. i don't know what his teal is. >> are you following him? >> yeah. >> okay. we don't need you to do that. >> okay. >> a short time later, calls starting coming in from neighbors who said they heard a fight and someone screaming. then this. >> so you think he's yelling help? >> yes. >> all right. what is your -- >> there's gunshots.
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>> you just heard gunshots? >> yes. >> how many? >> just one. >> zimmerman's father is also speaking out in later to the orlando sentinel, he criticized what he calls the media's portrayal of his son george as a racist. he said that could not be further from the truth. the letter also said george zimmerman is hispanic and grew up in a multi-racial family. about 200,000 honda civic hybrid owners are getting up to $200 in a class action settlement. the san diego judge gave a final approval to a settlement yesterday for drivers who said their cars didn't get the promised gas mileage. jason russell, the director of the kony video does not have a drinking or drug problem. that's what his family is saying. he was hospitalized for exhaustion. police picked him up after reports that he was screaming and running through the streets in his underwear. he's on the right wearing that
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red t-shirt. russell is the founder of the nonphysical group children. the video has been viewed 80 million times on youtube. let's talk about another big story this weekend. h history-making march madness bracket and the sadness. let's talk with reynolds wolf. >> we've got a lot of games coming up today. last night very, very dramatic in many ways, especially the duke game is tremendous. their loss and of course the win for lehigh. a lot of people were surprised about that. really it was you, randi, my friend. your overall percentile in picks, 97 -- again, i'm not ripping on you to the rest of america. but, folks, randi is not a huge basketball fan. how do you pick some of these winners? were you going een"eenie meenie
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miney mo"? >> i have a smart producer named hann hannah. >> today they're tipping off around 7:45. also bc unh indiana, this should be an interesting game. syracuse and kansas state. that one's going be after noontime. this enyou have vandy and wisconsin, another big game and cincinnati and florida state, one of just many, many tremendous games we're going to see during that incredible stech during the march madness. one of the most wonderful times of the year. >> it is fun. now it's really fun for me. >> enjoy. i'm going to see if we're going to keep up the same smiles by next weekend. >> i know. it could get ugly. all right, reynolds. thank you. you can get all your updated scores and wounded brackets on cnn.com/sports. tune in. you'll have it all. puerto rico holds its primary tomorrow. so who's stumping on the island today trying to get those 20 delegates? we'll tell yu right after the break. keep it here. but your erectile dysfunction -- that could be a question of blood flow.
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now to politics and a look at the delegate math. mitt romney is leading with 498. rick santorum, 239. newt gingrich, you see, has 139. and ron paul trailing far behind with 69 delegates. romney is in puerto rico this hour before tomorrow's primary. he's saying he will be willing to help the island get stated if they wanted it and, of course, he talked about both english and spanish there. a topic which landed rick santorum in some hot water earlier. >> i think selecting the words of your governor, spanish is the
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language of puerto rico's heritage. i would thing young people would learn both languages, but particularly english. >> rachel has all the details for us from puerto rico. >> reporter: hi, randi. we're outside a market in puerto rico where mitt romney is going to speak to voters. the voters cannot vote in the general election, however, the candidates, both mitt romney and rick santorum, have spent a lot of time here, campaigning, terming out enthusiastic audiences. there's also a large hispanic population here clearly and population is going to have a lot to say in the november election. so while mitt romney and rick santorum speak to voters here, puerto rican voters in the u.s. are listening to what they're saying, following it closely. it's not all work though. we did have a wild night last
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night. mitt romney russ speaking at a political rally and it was unlike anything i was seeing. i'm still having trouble hearing out of both of my ears after that. there was music blaring, politicians dancing on stage and people dancing in todd jens. mitt romney, we did not see him dance, mostly clapping in rhythm and fireworks. he's been able to sneak in fun here on this quick trip to puerto rico. randi? >> and mitt romney will be campaigning in illinois later today. and a program note. join fredericka whitfield every sunday afternoon for a special hour dedicated to the special contenders in the 2012 election ja need help paying your mortgage? up next, if you're a bank of america customer, you could get $100,000 knocked off your home loan. i habe a cohd.
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welcome back. some struggling homeowners may get a breather. they may get a break of up to $100,000 on their mortgage. earlier this morning i asked our financial analyst clyde anderson to explain the deal. >> if they've pretty much worked a deal out where they can reduce the mortgages rather than paying the money back. a big lawsuit, $26 billion lawsuit where they were doing illegal things like robo foreclosures. they got slapped on the wrist.
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this is a way. >> it's a side deal to reduce their own penalties. it's not out of the kindness of their heart. >> you bet. >> it's a good deal for some. how does it benefit them? >> they will reduce the mortgage. what they can do is reduce the amount mortgage down the appraised value of the home. if it's only appraising at $150,000. reduce the loan down to $150,000. what it does is helps out your payment as well as if you want to sell the house or do something different, you're not so much under water where you're going to owe more money. >> we have graphic up so our viewers can see it. if you owe $200,000 on a home worth $150,000. it will go down. >> it will go down almost $200 really with the difference. that same $150,000 or 4% interest rate, the new payment is going be $1,760. it's saving the homeowner from the payment side but also from not being so far under water. >> how do you qualify?
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>> pretty much you have to be behind on the mortgage, be an occupied residence. it has to be an owner before january 1st 2009 and those are the same things and you've got to be under water. you have to owe more on the house than it's actually worth. >> there's those people. it's all designed to help those motivated that are under water to keep paying. they don't want people walking away. that's what was happening. a lot of people were walking away. hopefully this will be an incentive to get them to stay in the home. >> will this make a accident? we have a lot of forecloses out this. >> this will help about one million people. anything helps. a rutgers student found guilty of spying on his roommate with a webcam rah. could this case affect future webcam use sunny'll tell you straight ahead. oil sands projects, like kearl, and the keystone pipeline will provide secure and reliable energy
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to the united states. over the coming years, projects like these could create more than half a million jobs in the us alone. from the canadian border, through the mid west, to the gulf coast. benefiting hundreds of thousands of families throughout the country. this is just what our economy needs right now.
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. welcome back. it's to minutes past the hour. let's talk about some trials wchl very two very big cases. i want to start first out of the case out of rutgers. it's regarding a cyber case. a rutgers student has been found guilty on all charges for using a web spy cam on his roommate who was having sex with another man. there were 15 counts including invasion of privacy, witness
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tampering and bias. his roommate tyler clementi, we remember, killed himself, jumped off the george washington bridge in september of 2010 after he learned he had been spied on. holly, does it surprise you he was convicted on all counts? >> it does. i knew he was going to get the invasion of privacy. that's a foregone conclusion. he admitted it. the hate crime, i didn't think this will there was enough evidence. they agree with the prosecution. this is a cautionary tale, randi. our children are coming up and they've learned webcams and spying. nothing is private anymore. but this also teaches you have to be responsible with that technology. >> would the verdict, do you think, have been different if tyler clementi didn't take his own life? >> absolutely. 100%. what's happening here very sadly is because tyler did take his own life, nobody else will be charged for his death. there won't be a criminal
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prosecution for even manslaughter. so i think the jury looked at that and they thought somehow because dharun ravi's actions might have contributed to the death. we can't say it caused it. we don't know what else was going on in tyler's head, but i think the jury feels like someone needs to be held criminally responsible and this was the way they could do it. this was the charge that would enable them to hold dar roharun ravi's feet to the fire. >> it means you're going to receiver 365 days. longer than a one-year sentence. if it's a misdemeanor, you're going to be deported. this could be a double whammy for him if the judge give his ima max of ten years. he can serve every day of the ten years and the day he walks out of the prison doors, the
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agents from i.c.e., immigration wasser tos will come pick him up and put him on the plane back to his native country. >> let's talk about another case that's gotten a lot of attention this week. this is the day care trial that took place. it came just hour after the jurors found him guilty but mentally ill for this 2010 murder of rusty snyderman who was shot multiple times while he was dropping his child off at day carry, his then 2-year-old son. they found him guilty but mentally ill. is that the right verdict? >> well, think it is. they could have also gone not guilty by reason of insanity, and what shocks me about this is typically when an insanity defense is raised, it does not work. they do not treat it as a legitimate defense. they treat it as an excuse. they say, oh,y u're only crazy now because you've been caught.
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andrea yagts ites is one. she waslearly out of touch with reashlgts didn't realize what she did was wrong. but here say say he did plan this, wear a disguise and rent a different car. they heard testimony from fantastic experts. what's interesting here is the state's experts, they had already been hired by the defense, so they could have used the same person but for the defense getting to them first. so there were very credible experts, and the jury heard every bit of it and said, yes, you know what? this man was suffering. i also thing they want to apportion a little responsibility. he's responsible, yes, he did it, but let's not forget there was a whole lot of talk about maybe, maybe andrea snyderman, rusty's widow, the victim's widow, had something to do with this as well and it was a way to
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cushion the blow. >> tough subject to talk about. go forth and have a happy st. paddy's day. go green. new detail this morning in the shooting of that unarmed florida teenager. trayvon martin was shot and killed last month by a neighborhood watch captain in his gated community number u we're hearing the 911 calls made by the alleged shooter george zimmermap and neighbors. here's dave mattingly. >> i heard a shot behind my house. >> shock, confusion, and fear. you could hear the fear in the voices of every caller. >> he shot him dead. the person is dead, lying on the ground. oh, my god. >> seven 911 calls in all beginning with this one from neighborhood watch captain george zimmerman. >> they always get away.
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that's his first impression of trayvon martin walking alone. zimmerman says martin then comes toward him. >> something's wrong with him. yeah, he's coming to check me out. he's got something in his hands. i don't know what his deal is. >> less than a minute later, martin is running away. zimmerman gets out of his car. >> are you following him? >> yeah. >> okay. we don't need you to do that. >> reporter: but then just a few minutes later there's another call. >> 911 do, you need police or medical? >> maybe both, i'm not sure. s there's someone screaming outside. >> listen in the background, a panicked voice yelling for help. >> is it a male or female? >> it's a male. >> do you know why? >> i don't know why. i think they're yelling help but i don't know.
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#. >> reporter: ten seconds later the shrieking continues and then a gunshot. >> do you think he's yelling help? >> yes. >> all right. what is -- >> there's gunshots. >> you just heard gunshots? >> yes. >> how many? >> just one. >> the identity of the person pleading for help is in dispute as well as the number of gunshots, but there is no doubt the calls captured the sounds of a deadly end to a tragic encounter. david mattingly, cnn, atlanta. before u.s. forces killed him, osama bin laden had more terrorist plans. they involved president obama and general david petraeus. much more on that coming up. ♪ ♪ ♪
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welcome back. top stories now. a series of explosions rock the syrian capital of da mass kiss. they report at least 27 people were killed. witnesses say government buildings and the air force intelligence headquarters were hit. state tv blames terrorists for those attacks. osama bin laden had more big
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plans before u.s. forces killed him last may. he had ordered his terror network to attack planes carrying president obama and general petraeus. the documents were seized from his compound. the white house said it was not a serious threat. all right. take a look at this. that is george clooney being led away by police outside the sudanese embassy in washington. no, this is not a film. this is real. the actor is protesting the attacks on the sudanese government for oil. >> you never know if you're accomplishing anything. all we're trying to to is bring attention to a moment at a time that is actually important. we hope that this brings attention to it. >> he testified before the senate foreign relations committee earlier in the week and backed the satellite surveillance initiative over sudan. we now know the name of the u.s. soldier accuse of killing 16 gachb civilians and where he's being hello. the suspect is army staff
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sergeant robert bales. he's in a cell at fort leavenworth by himself. the alleged crimes have put more strains on u.s./gachb relations. >> reporter: it all began last sunday. a u.s. soldier left his base, made his way to two nearby villages and allegedly shot, stab, and burned civilians, leaving 16 people dead, including nine chirp. it sparked protests around the country. in one, an effigy of a u.s. soldier was burned and the taliban vowed to retaliate. in an e-mail to cnn the taliban said in part with the help of god we will take the revenge of every after fwan by killing and beheading americans anywhere in the country. back in the u.s., president obama has a strong message of his own. >> the united states takes this as seriously as if it was our own citizens and our own
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children who were murdered. we're heartbroken over the loss of insoenlt lives. >> reporter: but his words did little to ease the tension. >> the afghans -- the difficult situation that they expected from the united states. >> reporter: the accused soldier who has not been charged has been identified as robert bales. he's a 38-year-old army staff sergeant deployed out of joint base lewis-mcchord near tacoma, washington. his civilian lawyer describes him as highly decorated and he was on his fourth deployment. three in iraq, and his first in afghanistan. he suffered a brain injury due to a roadside bomb. >> we know he had a concussion and injured in his leg severely, and i'm somewhat confused as to why they would sent him back to
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afghanistan. >> let's talk more about how this is affecting relationships with afghanistan. sara sidner is in kabul, afghanistan. we heard president hamid car sigh criticize the account. what is the latest? >> reporter: the biggest criticism that the karzai government has is they did not allow the investigators to speak with the suspected soldier and that has caused a rift. they were pretty angry he has been cement out of the country without gachb investigators being able to speak with him and interrogate him. the latest is that the victims, the family members of the victims have spoken with the parliament now here in afghanistan, and you'll remember that parliamentarians said they wanted to see justice done here at a public forum on afghan land. there's still anger about the soldier being sent back to the united states, although there is
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an agreement in place between the u.s. and afghanistan that when it comes to military, that there are certain channels that have to be used and they're doing that -- they're doing just that. the united states following that rule. but still there is quite a bit of anger brewing amongst lawmakers and the karzai government about how the u.s. has handled it, and they're very skeptical of anything now they're getting from the u.s. including some of the investigator being shown a surveillance video. that surveillance video repor d reportedly shows the soldier as he tries to come back to the base in kandahar and turn himself in. they used the world they were not convinced by this surveillance video, randy. >> and what are the odds? it sounds like they're pretty small that the soldier will have to return to afghanistan, given the afghanis' demansd. >> reporter: highly unlikely. you heard the defense attorney say that's not even on the table. now back in the u.s., there is
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question of where this trial will be held. obviously they're going to need to bring in witnesses. they'll need to bring in translator. as to where it will be held, it's unlikely it will be held here in afghanistan. >> thank you very much. do us a favor, stop what you're doing. take a look at the ef-4 tornado that hit this school in indiana. more on what the surveillance cameras revealed in less than three minutes. ♪ any way you want it ♪ that's the way you need it ♪ any way you want it [ female announcer ] weak, damaged hair needs new aveeno nourish+ strengthen. active naturals wheat formulas restore strength for up to 90% less breakage in three washes. for strong, healthy hair with life, new aveeno nourish+ strengthen. [♪...] >> announcer: bank robbery certainly is a frightening crime.
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we have some dramatic video of the deadly tornado that barreled through indiana earlier this month. take a look at this with me. that is a school jim in henryville and suddenly you see the twister blow through it at 157 miles per hour, leaving behind nothing but devastation. at least 13 people died in indiana. many were left homeless. so the big question is what's the weather going to be like today? we turn to the man who knows, reynolds wolf. >> unfortunately i wish i could say we're going to be clear of any severe weather. wind does may rattle, especially into parts of the mid-mississippi valley. we have a lot of components coming into play here.
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first and foremost, we've got a lot of moisture coming in from the gulf of mexico. that coupled with very warm temperatures from parts of the midwest will create a unstable atmosphere. you may have a little bit of a rumble you're going to be dealing with in terms of turbulence. it's going to be later we have a good chance of strong storms developing. we're talking lightning, possibly large hail, isolated tornadoes. we make our way west. it's completely on sichlt it's very dry, dry conditions, very low humidity. and with that, you've got the possibility of a fire threat. very, very dry conditions. in the rockies though where you have the moisture trapped in with the cold air aloft we're talking about the potential for several feet of snow. ski season was very strange. they had a lack of snowfall. now the central rockies have been investigated pounded. you're going to see more of that. possibly some scattered showers in the part of the san joaquin valley in san francisco and los angeles. in new york and washington,
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delays there. due to the fog that's going, going, gone. in phoenix and las vegas, it's wind. salt lake city, wind making delays for about an hour sore so. that's the latest we've got for you. >> reynolds, i need you to come over here. >> absolutely, sure, sure. >> we have another big story i want you to weigh in on. >> okay. >> take a look. >> okay. >> three, two, i come to you from ber from bermuda. >> you guys are terrible. >> this is the only way to say happy birthday to reynolds wolf, by showing you at your best. >> good times. i haven't seen that video -- that was in bermuda. yeah, that was very, very cool. a good friend of mine, steve, a photojournalist. >> it was your birthday yesterday. we wanted to wish you a happy birthday. we have something for you. let's just explain it's
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half-eaten cake for those of you who don't -- its we your, this is a newsroom, we get hungry, this is cnn, so, yeah. >> good times, guys. >> we put the candles in and everything but somebody else blew them out. >> we don't have forks or anything. >> you know how it goes. oh, my goodness. >> can i have a hug? >> no, no. all right. that was a moment. happy birthday. you might want to -- >> maybe just a little bit. >> bye, guys. >> have a happy one. reynolds wolf, happy birthday. very, very funny. all right. newt gingrich has won only two presidential contests, what a turn this is. but he is vowing to stay in the race. would a running mate help any of the candidates seal the deal? who would the best match be? we'll find out just ahead. it's the tastiest, the sweetest, the freshest. nobody can ever get enough.
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time now for what we like to call your political gut check. we want to take you beyond the speeches and break down what's really going on in politics. out of the 27 state primaries and caucuses to date, former
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house speaker newt gingrich has won only two. south carolina in january and his home state of georgia earlier this month. yet despite his struggles, gingrich and his camp say they're in this race for the long haul. so is this helping or hurting the other gop candidates? i asked our political director mark preston. >> some would say that by having newt gingrich stay in the race, that is helping mitt romney because it's divides the conservative vote and it allows mitt romney to perhaps score a couple of wins here and there or even when he loses, it's not by a big margin. other people think, though, by having newt gingrich in the race is really hurtful to mitt romney because all he's doing is hurting not only mitt romney but rick santorum. as of now, newt gingrich has no desire to leave the republican presidential race.
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>> there are some reports that the gop candidates might actually announce their vice president -- their running mates before august. how likely do you think that is? >> well, think it's a desperation level in some parts. in fact, newt gingrich is said to be one of those people who said that he was going to go out and perhaps name rick perry as his running mate. he did that right before the mississippi and alabama primaries. and by doing so, it perhaps could have helped him, although it didn't, on two fronts. on the first front it would have shown that he is willing and able to pick a southerner to join the ticket. and by saying that, he was trying to send a message to republican conservatives in alabama and mississippi that he was going to choose one of them, rick perry being one of them, the governor of texas. in the same vein he was sending a message to texas voters as well that he was going to choose their governor. why would he do that? because there's 155 delegates on
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the line when texas votes and even newt gingrich acknowledges he would need do very well if not win texas in order for his campaign to be viable. >> i imagine the voters want to know what the package deal is. they want to know who they're getting. i want to play along with you for the leading gop candidates. what kind of characteristics do you think mitt romney would need and would be looking for if he was to write a personal ad for a vice-presidential candidate. what is he looking for? >> i mean, look, he gets the business experience. he knows number, he knows the economy. he knows how to turn things around. so he's not looking for a businessman. what he's probably looking for is somebody who's a bit more personable, somebody who's on the campaign trail who's a little bit warmer. a lot of people think mitt romney is very mechanical. but what they would also be looking for is somebody who's very, very conservative, somebody who could help energize the base heading into november. >> how about rick santorum. who would he need at his side or
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what would he need at his side to help clinch it? >> he would need somebody opposite mitt romney. somebody who has business experience outside of washington. rick santorum spent a lot of time working in washington. he'd be looking for a businessman. he might also be looking for somebody whose views are a little more centrist. the problem with that is he would be vilified if he chose somebody who was moderate on the issue of abortion and same-sex marriage. i don't think he would go that far but he needs to soften his image with independent voters. >> and what about newt gingrich? >> he needs to do better in the field before he gets to that point. but he might need somebody who's younger. he's 68 years old. he needs someone to soften his image a little bit. he's considered grand thinker but perhaps he needs somebody who could help voters see the feature. again, 68 years
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people are always looking for the next step and he would be looking for somebody maybe like a paul ryan from wisconsin, the congressman, who happens to be the chairman of the house budget committee. >> all right, mark preston, appreciate it. nice to see you. >> thanks. and "newsroom" continues at the top of the hour with fredricka whitfield. >> hello. >> i love your green for santa patty's day. >> that's right. all kinds of parades happening throughout. you've got chicago making the river green. you've got new york, st. patty's day. >> when you get up at 2:30 in the morning you forget it's st. patrick's day and i forgot to grab green. what do you have coming up? >> we've got a lot coming ahead. our legal guys are with us. you know avery is probably going to be wearing green because he usually gets into it too but we've got a fascinating case out of connecticut. this involves the planned eviction of a family from an apartment complex. the family believes it's because this young man, 20-something-year-old man weighs
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600 pounds and he says every time something gets broken in the apartment complex, he is blamed for it. the apartment complex says, well, you know what, we have grounds. we have an accumulation of incidents in which we can stand by our eviction notice. so we'll talk about whether this is a case of discrimination or if it's something else. then in our financial fix, of course a lot of us are trying to make plans for how to care for our parents. we're called the sandwich generation, those who are trying to care for the parents. so in our financial fix today, karen lee will be along to give us an idea of how you should be planning for it financially. and if you are at that juncture, what can you afford to do to carry out. and then at 4:00, this is a very fascinating case coming out of fairfax, virginia. a mother says that her son comes home with a story of a teacher asking her child to read blacker. >> blacker? >> blacker. asking him to read a poem in a form of a rap.
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and so the parent is going to be joining us out of fairfax. we're also going to find out what the school district and what the school might be saying about this and what they might do as a result. >> that is an incredible story. >> yeah. >> i'll tune in for that one. >> we've got a lot straight ahead. >> are you doing the whole bracket thing? >> i am doing the bracket thing. >> we'll have to compare notes next time. >> how are you doing? >> i think i'm doing pretty good. >> who do you have winning it all? >> viranderbilt. >> i've got syracuse. i decided i'm going for vanderbilt because when i was a college intern working in nashville, i lived on fairfax and so i got a chance to know the vanderbilt campus, so that's my little connection there. >> my sister went to syracuse so we went with syracuse. all right, fred, nice to see you. we'll check back in a couple of minutes here. a mother watches as a shark pulls her daughter underwater. >> it was to me like a scene out of "jaws" where the girl is
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getting sucked under. i said there is no way this thing is going to kill my daughter. >> we'll tell you what happened next. ight now. two of the most important are energy security and economic growth. north america actually has one of the largest oil reserves in the world. a large part of that is oil sands. this resource has the ability to create hundreds of thousands of jobs. at our kearl project in canada, we'll be able to produce these oil sands with the same emissions as many other oils and that's a huge breakthrough. that's good for our country's energy security and our economy.
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it's time to take a look at what's happening around the
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country. a mom faces child abuse charges while another helps safe her daughter from a shark. that and much more on cross country this hour. >> it makes me sick, because there's sex offenders out there. to me she's still a little girl. >> that was christina marie lopez in january sounding like a concerned parent, outraged that a local strip club would hire her underage daughter to dance. but since that time, surveillance video from inside that club has surfaced. police say it shows the 47-year-old mother watching her 17-year-old daughter dance and allegedly giving her money. the club claims the teen lied about her age. affiliate koin says the mother faces child abuse charges. this is my worst nightmare to see an animal that could kill my daughter pulling her under water. it was like a scene out of "jaws" where she is getting sucked under. >> a mother is being credited for helping save her daughter
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from a shark. the shark clamped down on the girl's ankle and pulled her off the board. here's a picture of the wound. luckily some surfers helped them to shore and a nearby ambulance. in arizona, moments of panic when nine passengers in a hot air balloon crashed into power lines. four people suffered severe burns when parts of the balloon caught fire. the federal aviation administration is now investigating. if you haven't heard of the hunger games, well, just you wait. the book series is making the move to the big screen. the movie comes out next week and has blockbuster potential. it takes place in a post-appall lip particular world where teens are forced to fight to the death. last hour i talked with the president of hollywood.com about the movie and its huge appeal. >> well, i don't want to give too much away but there are 12
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districts around the world rather than countries, and they pick two kids between the ages, i think, of 8 and 18 from each district to go into this battle royal that's basically -- to me it's like "survivor" meets "lord of the flies." and that's what it sort of plays like but it's televised for a worldwide audience. so it's a great commentary on media, on pop culture, on governmental control over the populous. so it has a lot of very deep themes. it's a very sophisticated movie. this isn't just vampires versus werewolves, this is a bigger deal than that. there's a lot more at stake. >> could this be bigger than "twilight"? the film has already pulled in over 1700 sold-out screenings in advanced ticket sales. >> that's a big deal and imax is selling out as well. they're going to have midnight showings and we'll have a great indication by the midnight screenings.
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people always throw around these big opening weekend numbers. i would think 100 million plus is in the cards for this film but you never know until it opens. based on all prerelease tracking, on the online sales, the ima x-celouts, all that, people are saying it could do as much as $150 million. would that be bigger than "twilight"? the last one opened with 138 million. i think lionsgate would be thrilled with that. it will play for the long haul. this is the rare intersection of critical acclaim mixed with massive audience appeal, so the average persons will see the movie, they'll love it, critics will love it. the "twilight" movies were not well reviewed but they didn't need to be. they were making so much money faucet excitement surrounding the films. but this movie has that going for it and more. >> looks pretty good.

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